Keto Diet Step Number 1: Displace, Do Not Replace.

One of the most common problems I've seen people run into again and again with diets is they use a
scorched earth policy. For example, if somebody is loading up on starch, they basically replace all the
meat and all the eggs and fatty food they have been eating with just starch.

They have this black and white, either or, all or nothing mindset. Now you may be thinking that this is
a good thing. You may be thinking that this indicates commitment and a firm decision to make a
change. That might be true.

The problem is when you go through such an abrupt change, your body starts to push back. At first, it's
not all that noticeable. But eventually, your mind and your body starts pulling you back to your old
eating habits.

You have to understand that we're all creatures of habit. We've grown accustomed to certain things. We
adopt certain lifestyles because they meet our needs at a very deep level. Your weight and your eating
patterns are reflections of your personal habits.

As you probably already know, changing habits is not very easy. It's definitely not something that you
take on lightly. It is no surprise, given this background that a lot of people who just abruptly change
their diets end up going back to their old eating patterns.

All that weight that they've lost initially in the early stages of the diet come back. Worse yet, people get
heavier. They end up in a worse place. This is due to the fact that they triggered their system for a
serious backlash later on.

Just because it didn't happen when you switched over to your new diet doesn't mean it's not going to
happen. It's like trapping heat in a volcano. It's only a matter of time until that volcano blows its top.
This is exactly what happens to a lot of people switching from one lifestyle to another and one diet to
another.

It doesn't matter whether you've adopted the paleo diet, the south beach diet, the atkins diet or any other
kind of weight loss program. Eventually, you go back to your old eating habits.
The number 1 reason why people cannot sustain their new diet

Why do people end up where they begin? The most common problem with diets is that people choose
to replace instead of blending in new ingredients. For example, if you used to eat a lot of rice, mashed
potatoes, white bread, pasta and other starchy staples, you probably would want to clean out your
pantry once you switch over to a paleo or other high fat low carb diet.

This is a common tendency with a lot of people adopting new diets. They simply just want to turn their
back on their old eating patterns because they can see the benefits the new diet brings to the table.
They've seen before and after pictures of people losing a ridiculous amount of weight.

They can see how good people look after shedding all that fat. They can't wait to just stop what they're
eating and eat new food. I understand why people are excited. I was excited too. But after seeing
myself in worse shape after my diet than when I began, it dawned on me.

I began to realize that the reason why I keep coming back to where I started is because is sought to
replace all my food choices. I used a scorched earth policy. I would go from eating fruits and
vegetables to eating only eggs, avocados and other fatty foods. After all, I've gone keto.

You can say the same for paleo and other diets out there. The problem is this is not sustainable. I was
only able to stay on the keto diet when I started to displace food items. What does this mean? Instead of
replacing high carb items on my meal plans, I added high fat items to my diet.

Eventually, I started to lose my taste for high carb foods. They got displaced by more and more high fat
items on my meal plans. Add. Do not subtract. Displace. Do not replace.

It's all in your head

Remember, the reason why you are displacing and not replacing and adding instead of cutting out large
chunks of your meal plan is because you're trying to work with your psychology. When you start taking
out dishes from your meal plan, your mind starts feeling left behind. Deep down inside, you start to feel
that you're denying yourself. You feel like you are losing something.

I'm sure I don't need to remind you that one of the most powerful human impulses is the fear of loss or
getting left behind. This is the reason why people who live in certain neighborhoods automatically get
the urge to buy the same car as their neighbor once their neighbor rolls around in a new set of wheels.
I've seen this happen quite a bit. It only takes one neighbor to buy a new top of the line Mercedes Benz
or BMW to get other neighborhoods to want to buy the same kind of car. The same applies to clothes.
The same applies to food and lifestyle.

We don't like to get left behind. We don't like to feel like we are denying ourselves. This is exactly the
kind of mindset you trigger when you choose to replace certain food choices from your diet on a
wholesale basis. Don't do it!

Instead, keep adding ketogenic meal items to your diet. Eventually, you will reach a point where your
taste buds have switched over to a fat preference. You're no longer craving sweets. You no longer feel
like you can't go a day without carbohydrates. That's when these carb items start dropping from your
meal plan.

However, it has to take place gradually. You can't force it.

Focus more on ketogenic meals

As you get used to eating keto friendly meals, your taste buds begin to change. At first it may seem like
it may be hard going for you. After all, who can eat eggs day after day? If you're like most Americans,
you probably don't really have much of a craving for avocado on a daily basis.

Eventually, it becomes routine to you and you start craving more ketogenic items and start forgetting
about your old sweet tooth. Still, you have to do this gradually. You can't shock your system. The
moment you shock your system, be prepared for the back lash because your body is sure to put up a
fight.

It may not do it immediately, but eventually, it will undermine you. Eventually, it will get the upper
hand. Before you know it, you're back to eating what you used to eat before you adopted your keto diet.